(CNN) – Remember how Lassie always used to rescue Timmy? Well this time, it was a cat that saved 4-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo from a “mean dog.”

This mean dog, a Labrador Chow mix, had managed to slip out of its fenced-in property when a gate was open.

Jeremy was playing on his bicycle while his mom was watering plants nearby, then the dog leaped on Jeremy, dragging him by the leg.That’s when the cat pounced and the dog ran away.

It was over in an instant.

“Before I could even get there, my cat clobbered him. She saved the day.” said Jeremy’s mother, Erika Triantafilo.

Soon, everyone was calling Tara the cat a hero, including Jeremy, who is mildly autistic. Tara has lived with the Triantafilos since before Jeremy was born.

The fearless counterattack adds a new dimension to the dog-versus-cat debate. Sure there are affectionate cats, capable even of hugging, but dogs usually win in that department. A feline that dares to pounce on a much bigger, aggressive dog? Even dog lovers have to tip their hat to that cat.

The not-so-happy part of the story is what is to become of the dog; Bakersfield, California Animal Control confirms that the decision has been made to euthanize the eight-month-old dog.

Jeremy required 10 stitches. His mom says even if she managed to get to her son before the cat, she could never have gotten the dog off so effectively.